Sparks
by iloverieu
Summary: Artemis and Holly realize their dreams.
1. Chapter 1

Artemis Fowl was thinking. But he wasn't plotting, or scheming. He wasn't even proving any theorems. Artemis Fowl's mind was on a female.

At that instant, Artemis was lying on his bed, recalling the favorite moment of his young life. Eyes closed, he brought himself back to the correct time and place. Gently, he probed his memory, bringing back first the sounds, then the smells, the sights, the tastes, the aches, and finally, her touch. He heard the rustle of the gorilla's habitat, and the fearsome growls of the beast itself. He smelled its breath, smelled the leaves and the trees and Earth, smelled the odor of a dwarf, and smelled the unmistakable scent of a person with an unmistakably special place in his heart. He saw black beneath his eyelids when they rolled back into his head, and red when he was attacked. He tasted blood, bile. He felt aches and pains everywhere, drenched in a cold sweat. And then – rejuvenation, a shocking awakening. He could breathe in the air again, he could move his body parts, he could speak and comprehend. He felt dreamy. He heard a beautiful voice saying something wonderful. "Of course I saved you, I couldn't do without you." And then – something happened. Something magical, beautiful, something he would never, ever forget. Holly leaned down and her lips touched his own. Sparks flew. Literally. She kissed him and held him in a trance, a dream, and he silently and subconsciously willed her to never stop.

It was a moment that even one lacking a brain like Artemis's could remember in full detail. It was like being sent to heaven, but he had never felt so alive. And beside him was a mesmerizing angel, melting his inhibitions away.

Artemis sighed, and went back to business.

Despite the romantic nature of his thoughts, Artemis was, as always, using a bit of math. If Holly was 80 and most fairies were expected to live about five hundred years, and if Artemis was 17 with a life expectancy of 95, then that meant that each of them had completed about 17% of their lives. They were, in theory, the same age. But with each passing year, Artemis would consume much more of his life force than Holly, and their ages would quickly, very quickly, grow apart. But there was time enough to solve that problem later. At the moment, he just wanted to see her.

Artemis stood, resolving to call Foaly. He couldn't talk to Holly just yet; he was still a bit flustered from the vivid memory. He lifted one of the stolen, outdated LEP helmets that still remained in his possession, and connected to the Operations booth. Moments later, he heard an annoyed whinny.

"Fowl. It's been _two days. _We already saved the world once this week. Can't you give a centaur a break?"

Artemis smiled. "It's nothing like that, Foaly. I had simply recalled my collection of LEP gear and was wondering if you wanted it back. In the wrong hands, you know, it could spell trouble."

"In the wrong hands? Who would be so stupid as to let stolen fairy technology fall into the wrong hands? Besides, Fowl, since when do you just give away something that could make you rich?"

Artemis almost pouted. "I did give away The _Fairy Thief_, as you well know. I don't require anything in return. If you could send up a shuttle for me, I would gladly come aboard with all of the fairy technology in my possession."

"Oh, give up the act Mud Boy. You don't fool me. What you REALLY want is a cozy, lengthy, private voyage deep into the underground with the best pilot in the LEP," said Foaly smugly.

Artemis remained silent. It was all of the proof Foaly needed.

"Artemis," he began gently, but then stopped talking. The man and the elf really had something between them. Something that sparked and dazzled them whenever they touched upon it. Something that attracted them, that brought them together and kept them close. He thought about Cabelline and her long, shiny tail, and the angelic sound of her whinny, and how fulfilled he felt whenever one of his jokes made her snort. Poor Artemis, thought Foaly, he rarely even gets to see Holly. "Alright, Mud Boy," said Foaly, "I'll see what I can do."


	2. Chapter 2

Here's the disclaimer I forgot in chapter one...although I did figure out how to revise chapters I've already submitted so I'll move this there eventually:

Disclaimer: Eoin Colfer owns Artemis Fowl and all other characters in this story. I own nothing apart from a mild obsession for the series.

* * *

Deep underground, Holly Short had been doing some thinking of her own. She had been getting increasingly less sleep lately, and she knew why. The moment she climbed into bed, _it_ entered her head, beginning as a tiny thought at the back of her mind and quickly growing until it dominated her mind and senses. The _it_ was, of course, the kiss. The kiss that she gave Artemis Fowl less than a week ago. She knew that, although her adolescence had magnified her emotions, it had been the real Holly, the eighty year old one, who had kissed Artemis.

Something about the boy – or rather, young man – made Holly do crazy things. Something about him caused her to abandon all rational thought and risk her career and life for him multiple times. She would put anything and everything on the line for him. He was endearing and intriguing, sweet yet unpredictable. His eyes enticed her. Mischief danced behind them and added to his devious appearance. After all they had been through together; after all of the adventures, rescues, and near-death experiences they had suffered together, she had fallen for him.

Sometimes she thought about the unlikeliness of her situation. She was a LEPRecon, a jock, a girl with a gun. She could fit in with the manliest of the force and think nothing of it. And out of nowhere came Artemis Fowl, some pale and scrawny brainiac who, with the help of his sardonic charm, eventually led her to kiss him. Most uncharacteristic of her. Then again, with Artemis life was never boring.

Late at night was the only time Holly allowed these sorts of thoughts to surface. She could never let herself slip during the daytime; she would be ridiculed, maybe thrown into therapy. That would not do. No, she had to conceal her true thoughts and feelings from everyone, even Foaly. Maybe if she kept them shut away, they would disappear.

And so, Holly hid her emotions. It took her less than a day to train herself so well that she didn't even flinch at the mention of his name, reacting to it only as she would react to the mention of a friend. But whenever she heard it, her heart always fluttered and her stomach always tightened, and she was always reminded that she had never really wanted Artemis Fowl out of her love life. When she had told him, "in another time," she didn't really mean it. She wanted to be with him in _this_ time. But she was determined that no one would ever find that out.

Her helmet beeped. A sigh escaped her lips. She was exhausted, and lo and behold, Foaly calls her, probably with a job to do, first thing in the morning. She acknowledged the beep.

"Morning, Foaly," she yawned.

"No need to be so enthusiastic, Captain. Anyway, you've got a job to do."

Holly groaned.

_Very articulate_, thought Foaly.

"There's a shuttle waiting for you at E1. You've got some stuff to pick up from the terminal at Tara. You're gonna like this one, Captain. I'm sure of it."

Foaly winked at her through the video feed. Holly's stomach churned. Did the Centaur know something? It was hard to be sure with Foaly.

An hour later, Holly was at the chute. She checked the readings: no flares for another two days. _That would explain the shuttle_, she thought, _but why now? And why am I going alone?_ Curious, she lifted herself into the craft and sat in the cushy pilot's seat.

She eased the shuttle out of its station and out onto the runway. She maneuvered the throttle, paying close attention to the walls, and with a swift upward motion she took off, allowing the joys of flying to overwhelm her.

The Captain allowed her mind to wander back to her days in the academy. Various memories entered her head: the first time she had held a real Neutrino, the first time she received perfect marks on the shooting simulator, the first time she had ever piloted a shuttle. She recalled the embarrassment on the faces of her male peers when her marks in flying class had trumped all of theirs. It was so wonderful to be good at something, to really excel at it. She loved the feeling of having complete control over her life, even if the only time she had this control was while sitting in the pilot's seat. Flying appealed to Holly because it was done best when aided by emotion and instinct. Following her heart had always been easy for Holly, necessary even, and she always acted based on what she felt was right. Maybe that was why she still called Artemis Fowl on a nightly basis. Maybe that was why she remained smitten with him: her mind could not let go of the feelings that her heart cherished so much.

A few happy hours later, Holly landed the shuttle. She climbed out nimbly, wondering what exactly was waiting for her. Seeing nothing in the terminal, she crossed the room, opened the door, and stepped outside.

Holly's eyes widened and her body froze. She felt all of her troubles, and indeed most of her coherent thoughts, melt away as if they were never even there. Her stomach tightened, and her heart fluttered. She felt the wind tugging at her hair and tickling her skin. She inhaled the scent of spice and musk, and was instantly whisked into a whirlwind of emotions and memories. She knew that the gorgeous Irish landscape stood before her, that the clear blue sky and rich green Earth surrounded her, that there were trees and clouds and countless other things to see and enjoy in her immediate surroundings, but the only thing her brain registered was a mismatched pair of eyes boring into hers. A sapphire and an emerald. They seemed to stare right through her, crushing all of her defenses, leaving her vulnerable, staring straight into her soul. They were fierce, determined, but also gentle and kind. Holly felt herself melt into so much putty as a clear and captivating voice broke the silence.

"Hello, Holly," said Artemis.

* * *

The interaction is coming! I promise :P


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: I may have fibbed about the interaction. It won't be here til next chapter, since I am going to Europe this Friday and this is what I managed to write. I probably won't have frequent internet access there, but I'll bring my notebook along and handwrite chapter four. I had a lot of fun writing about their thoughts in this chapter, though :P

Kit Heart: Yes, I read your review before I uploaded chapter 2. This chapter also focuses bunches on thoughts and descriptions rather than dialogue. Thank you so much for your helpfulness! :3

All reviewers: You guys are awesome! Thank you so much :D All of the compliments and criticisms make me try much harder to write a good chapter.

Disclaimer: The reason that this is published on fanfiction dot net is because it's fan fiction...I get to write about someone else's (Eoin Colfer's) characters and make them do what I want. :3

* * *

"Artemis!" exclaimed Holly. She still felt as if she was walking on clouds, but in all fairness the Captain recovered quite quickly. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Nice to see you too, Captain. You look good."

Holly nearly blushed. However, she knew that if she showed even a single sign of her infatuation, Artemis would have her figured out in a heartbeat. And anyways, Artemis must be toying with her. Why else would he tell her that she looked good? It wasn't as if he could possibly feel any sort of attraction for her.

Wrong, actually. Very wrong. Artemis, who had long ago accepted his feelings for Holly, had meant the statement as a compliment. However, complimenting others was not in his nature, and as such his words came off as mocking. Not that Artemis had any idea. He had given Holly a compliment. Weren't women supposed to like compliments? He was a master at psychology, for Heaven's sake. A compliment on her appearance was supposed to convey to her that he was interested, and it was also supposed to fill her with confidence. But old habits die hard, and Artemis's vocal chords had a hard time deviating away from his normal manner of speaking to one in which sincere compliments could be given. Thus, Holly was none the wiser about Artemis's feelings toward her, and had to respond to his words with an icy stare.

She had also discreetly drawn her buzz baton, because after she had gotten over her daze, she noticed that the young Fowl had one hand behind his back. She shifted her weight warily, never abandoning her field skills and soldier's sense despite her affection for Artemis.

"Foaly said that I had something to pick up…certainly it couldn't be you. So where is it?"

Artemis stepped aside, revealing a small, open duffel bag with old LEP equipment poking out. His hand remained casually behind his back. Holly inched cautiously around him, keeping in mind exactly what Artemis Fowl was capable of. She was kidnapped by him once; she wasn't going to let it happen again. She poked the bag curiously, wondering if he had booby-trapped it. Had Fowl changed so much that he was willing to give up the stolen technology? Not likely. Either the old equipment was covering something unpleasant, or Fowl had used it to make some sort of deal with Foaly. Either way, Holly doubted she would like it.

"Put your hands where I can see them, Fowl," growled Holly.

Artemis chuckled inwardly. He adored Holly's macho attitude and assertive nature. She wasn't one to bend easily. It would be tough to gain her support for what he had in mind. No matter. Artemis Fowl could be very persuasive.

Donning an embarrassed face, he held his hand up to her.

"What in Frond's name happened there?"

Artemis grinned sheepishly. "I was making improvements to this LEP helmet and it got stuck on my hand. Foaly also mentioned that if I tried to remove it myself, it would release some sort of foul knock-out gas, apparently included as a precaution against rogue police officers." He gave Holly a significant look. "Foaly promised to free me from the helmet if I returned all of the old LEP technology that I had previously…acquired. So here I am."

All thinly-veiled codswallop, of course. It took Artemis and Foaly about fifteen seconds to think of a barely plausible reason for Artemis to get a shuttle ride with Holly.

Holly fumed. Great, just great. She would have to thank Foaly for this later. The very person that Holly had been trying to keep out of her daytime thoughts and life was now going to take a multiple-hour private shuttle ride with her. She shuddered internally at the thought of being alone with Artemis on that tiny shuttle. His body close to hers, his lips at her ear, whispering sweet-nothings and sending shivers down her spine, his hands caressing her – _Ahem, _said Holly's logical side, bringing her rudely back to Earth. Getting his hand stuck in a helmet was both careless and comical. Neither trait particularly pertained to Artemis Fowl.

"I don't believe you."

"Holly, please, won't you escort a poor old friend to get his hand fixed?"

Holly grinned in spite of herself. "Stop acting the victim, Arty, it doesn't suit you." Oh no, she had called him Arty. A slip-up on her part could spell hell later on. She resolved to remain stoic until she got the Mud Boy to Foaly. Easier thought than done, as it turned out.

Artemis turned up the charm. "Shall we, Holly dear?" He extended his arm, the non-helmeted one, for her to take.

He looked for all the world like a gentleman. He sported a suit and a tie, flawless posture, a bright smile, combed hair, good hygiene, the works. He radiated charm, warmth, and wit straight towards Holly, capturing her with his gaze; his extended arm an offer that she couldn't refuse.

Holly punched his shoulder, refusing the offerr. "Don't get smart with me, Mud Boy. I am not your 'dear'." For a fraction of a second, Artemis looked hurt. Holly blinked, and his features had once again arranged themselves to look smug, smart, and nonchalant. Mostly unbothered by the rejection, Artemis tried again.

"Very well, my lady. Lead the way."

Holly rolled her eyes and walked back to the shuttle. Artemis followed behind her, enjoying the view. It hadn't taken as much effort as Foaly had thought to persuade Holly to let him into the shuttle. Artemis, not being one to overlook the obvious, realized that Holly's resistance was in vain and that if she _really_ hadn't wanted him with her, she would never have taken him. A feisty elf like Holly probably would have knocked him out and left him in a good-sized hole, helmet-hand and all, as punishment. He applauded himself and climbed into the shuttle.

Holly bit her lip. The pilot's and co-pilot's seats were awfully close together. Artemis didn't seem to mind and placed himself elegantly in the co-pilot's seat. He studied the controls eagerly – the shuttle was a new model that he had never seen before. Holly willed herself to ignore the way his dark hair framed his fair face, and the way his forehead creased when he was taking in new information, and the way he held himself – perfectly content and confident, and the way his eyes sparkled when he looked at her, and the way his soft, soft lips formed words…

"Holly? Earth to Holly! At this rate, Foaly's ego will deflate before we get to Haven."

Holly snapped out of her trance in time to catch Artemis joking -- an increasingly frequent occurrence. The People had had a truly wondrous effect on the Mud Boy. He was no longer cold, cruel, or calculating. He had lost all traces of heartlessness, and his spark of decency was now more like a small bonfire of decency. He had, however, kept his smugness, his wit, and his ability to give anyone and everyone a fright and a frightful headache. He had always been good at quickly infuriating Holly, but the way he was now making her swoon was brand new.

She lowered herself into the pilot's seat, glad to have at least some control over the situation. She grinned and grasped the throttle.

"Put your seat belt on, Mud Boy." Artemis paled a few shades. He was familiar with Holly's shuttle flying, and it did nothing good for his stomach. The craft roared to life. He buckled up just as they shot out of the station.

He looked over at Holly. Here they were, in a tiny shuttle, journeying thousands of miles into the Earth on a voyage that almost no other humans had ever taken, and all he could think about was the amazing person sitting next to him. The People had encouraged his change of heart, yes, but it had been Holly who had been the best influence on him. He respected her love of life and of all living things. He admired her courage and her willingness to risk her life for her friends. And on top of that, she made him happy. Her company was a gift; her joie de vivre contagious. If anyone had to take the blame (or reward) for Artemis's attitude adjustment, it would be Holly. And he was in love with her – or something very close.

Artemis leaned over, switched on autopilot, and swiveled in his chair to face Holly.

"I need you, Holly, to tell me right now. Do you feel something for me?"

Holly's eyes widened. Had she really been that obvious? Her heart willed her to tell him the truth, to expose her emotions to him. Her logical side fought fiercely for her to tell a lie. Her emotions must remain unknown to him and to the rest of The People. By admitting her affection, her career, reputation, and relationships would be jeopardized. She would be the laughingstock of Haven. She would never clear the way for women to enter the LEP because she, the crazy girly captain, had fallen in love with a Mud Man. The newspapers would write rumors about her, her family and friends would be ashamed of her, and the Council would never even give her career a chance. Artemis gazed into her eyes. He had lied to her once, and it had hurt. She couldn't make him experience the same pain.

"Yes, Artemis," Holly whispered, "I do."

* * *

I have three weeks to write the next chapter. I'll check for **_reviews_** *bats eyelashes* whenever I can, and the more I get, the more I can refine the chapter and the better it'll be when it's updated! Yay.

Won't you help a writer out?


	4. Chapter 4

**Hellooo there...**

I detest author's notes but I'm going to write this obscenely long one anyway. I recently developed a very strong, renewed interest in fanfiction (once you go FF, you never go back) after reading Pride & Prejudice, which naturally morphed into me reading about fifty AF fics. I wanted to add some of them to my story alerts, when I stumbled upon my old account, and lo and behold, this old story. Now, a whole very lot of time has passed between the conception of the idea and its finishing, but let me just say, it took me about half an hour to get myself to read it, and all the while, I literally cried tears of embarrassment. That being said, I decided to finish it, to give myself a little closure and to be able to move on to better things. However, in the 2+ years since I started this, I'm ashamed to say that my writing has gotten no better, and thus, this story concludes just as it began: mushily, with very little plot, and perhaps too much superfluous description (see what I did there?), because that is all that I know how to write. I've read some wonderful stories from this particular fandom, and I'm sad to waste some of the lines I wrote here on this story. However, two years later, "chapter four" is still just a part of my first foray into writing (this whole thing really should have been a one-shot), and even though it's a far cry from how I one day hope to write, I'm glad of the experience and grateful for everybody's support for this particular n00b writer.

Okay. Hopefully my last such (excuse-ridden) author's note ever.

PS: Bonus points if you can catch the P&P reference!

* * *

Artemis, nearly disbelieving what he had heard, sat back in his chair and didn't say a word, needing a moment to process the welcome information.

Holly, too, froze and remained that way, eyes down, waiting for his reaction, despairing, resigned to the worst, nearly praying for the best, and only somewhat registering, in the very back of her mind, that the auto-pilot would only work in perfectly straight passages. She was suddenly seized with worry, poised composedly on the brink of panic, that this was just another of Artemis's schemes. Somebody underground had offered him a reward to expose her. He was coming with her so that he could report her weakness to the Council, and she would be fired, and…oh Frond. Nobody else on or under the Earth caused her emotions to swing so wildly. She hazarded a glance at him. Still motionless. She wondered at his thoughts. He must think her so stupid, so naïve. She turned off the auto-pilot with more force than was strictly necessary, and turned her attention back to piloting the shuttle.

Artemis's mind was more agreeably engaged. He had read (and written) plenty of romance novels, but he himself had never been on the receiving end of requited (dare he think it?) love. He was unprepared for the sensations it would inspire. His heart raced a mile a minute. He sprouted wings and fairly rocketed skyward. His stomach found its way into his esophagus in the best possible way. He looked at the creature before him and felt her admiration. The_ something_ between them was built from years of trust, strong but hardly visible, like a spider web, and just as delicate. Fragile enough to be swept away by an outside force, tough enough to withstand any carelessness or neglect. He had to be careful. Slowly, Artemis pulled his hand free of the helmet, abandoning the ridiculous scheme. He released a teaspoonful of his emotions, bit by bit, until a small, rare smile lit his visage.

"Holly. Holly, pull over."

She complied, used to taking orders from Artemis, and turned to face him. He had a most peculiar look on his face. Suddenly fed up with her anxiety, her embarrassment, and her whole situation, she wiped the look off his face with a well-aimed fist. Artemis, caught unawares, had a strong feeling of _déjà vu_ as his head flew back into the headrest.

"Oof," he said.

He brought his hands up to his face, which was hot, red, but not bloodied. And then he burst out laughing.

"_Frond," _thought Holly_, "even his laughter sounds refined." _And then, "_What?"_

She glared at him with a single, arched eyebrow until his chuckles subsided and he was ready to explain himself.

"Holly," he tried again, still amused. He loved the feeling of her name in his mouth. "Holly, don't you see? This was exactly how it started. And so it begins again."

He leaned forward, mismatched eyes sparkling, until they were very, very close. Holly didn't flinch.

"Artemis, just because your IQ is the size of Foaly's gullet, doesn't mean the rest of us can always decipher what you're talking abo-"

Her words were cut off by him closing the distance between them and pressing his lips against hers. Holly's head spun. He was so close. Her entire world shrank down to just her and Artemis, and soon it wouldn't even be her anymore. She barely had time for a sharp intake of breath before his lips were gone, replaced by the dry emptiness of recycled shuttle air. She opened eyes that she never realized she'd closed. She closed a mouth which she was embarrassed to have left open. Her heart was a-flutter, though she tried to convince herself that she was indignant at his nerve. So cocky, so self-confident, assured that everything would always go his way…and yet, it usually did. He pinned her down with his stare, and as her thoughts flew away, she vaguely realized that his look was one of insecurity, that he was asking her permission, searching for her approval. His uncertainty melted her remaining anger. So suave just minutes ago, and now so anxious. Without further ado, she threw her arms around him, no longer feeling the need to be angry with him. He let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding, and wrapped his arms tightly around this most priceless being. The shuttle was no longer cramped; it was perfectly cozy. His face was still red, though not from her punch, but from emotion, and embarrassment, and happiness, and warmth radiating out from his good heart. He took Holly's head in his hands, and brought it to his heart, trying to show her all that he was feeling, trying, and succeeding, at wordlessly communicating the strength of his regard. For a relationship like theirs, they hardly needed words, and yet how he loved the sound of her voice. As if reading his mind, Holly looked up.

"Can it work? Artemis, Arty, can we do this?"

The question hung in the air, so much like her last. Only this time, Artemis had her forgiveness, he had her trust, and he had his wits about him. He thought of their resources, his family, their friends. He thought of his knowledge, and her courage, and their combined strength and enormous attachment. He thought of Foaly's genius technology, of No. 1's magic, of his own funds, of his mother's support. So many resources. He felt sure they could make it work. The most important factor was their own love, which fluttered wordlessly in the air, kissing his cheeks (or was that Holly?), settling on his shoulders, and filling the tiny cockpit with all things lovely and irresistible.

"This is another time, Holly," he whispered.

Their lips met again, this time with more fervor, as elf and man let their hands wander. Not too far, though. Holly regained her senses, not keen on getting caught in an LEP shuttle doing obscene things with a criminal Mudman. She pulled away, and gently steered the craft back into the darkness. She giggled at Artemis's disgruntled expression.

"Let's go talk to Foaly," she grinned.

And the Captain and the Mudman continued down, she flying rather smoother than normal, and he smiling rather more than usual, and the pair of them holding hands, with tingly lips, enveloped in a silent love, and secure with the knowledge that if Artemis Fowl wanted something this much, there could be no doubt of him getting it.


End file.
